Conference Notes:

Opening Day

Opening Remarks by Bill Johnsen, Director of Instructional Technology
  • Started Own Blog

Address by Dr. James Merrill, Superintendent
  • - Try to create policy for use not to write policy to restrict
  • - Dr. Merrill is contemplating starting a Blog

Address by Ramesh Kapoor, Chief Information Officer, DOT
  • Goals for year
    • Stabilize Gradebook Program
    • Administration Computer Replacement approximately October
    • Wireless Access by end of September (move computer from one room to another)
    • Looking at Teacher webpages ~ Jan 2008
    • SharePoint will expand to newer version
    • New Security Filter
    • Distance Learning Labs (3 this year)

Address by Paul Roxer, Security Officer, DOT
  • Internet Safety training in school this year (state mandated)
  • Must be implemented across the curriculum
  • New firewall program
  • New advanced reporting module
  • Content Keeper
    • Content blocked by user
    • Report generated at DOT
    • Protect Login ID and Password (YOU WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE)

Internet Safety - Lori Ann Buterbaugh, Instructional Coordinator, DOT
  • 2006 VA passed a law regarding Internet Safety
  • Each Division must develope and incorporate Internet Safety Policy
  • Group Targeted for Training
    • Students (must be ongoing)
    • Parents, Grandparents, Guardians, Caregivers
    • Teachers, CRS, LMS, Councilors, Resource Officers
    • Administrators
    • School Board
  • Program in schools must be consistant reinforcement of grade level topics
  • DOT will design quick reference card to be read before class logs into computer
  • DOT will provide presentation material
  • STUDENTS MUST BE MONITORED BY TEACHERS
  • School Administrator Strategies:
    • Allow time for training teachers during pre-service week
    • Principal must sign off each year that all stakeholders (teachers, students, adminstrators) have recieved information and training

Address by Maria Nuzzo,Instructional Specialist - Foreign languages
  • Spanish and German textbook available online

Address by Melani Loney, Science Coordinator
  • Training for teachers optional (voluntary)
  • Current usage of ArcGIS in science moving to Geography
  • Use for exploring landforms and population
  • 3.5 year license to install on any instructional machine

Day 2 - Technical Issues

Address by Marty Smith (Opening Session)
  • VBCPS is creating a new data center in Coorporate Landing Area
  • - Wireless Update
    • Antenna's for wireless are mounted, waiting for new switches
    • Will be installed in presentation areas
    • Ready for SOL testing
  • New Spam Filter - Iron Mail
    • Sometimes blocks legit mail
    • Keeps black list of spammers
    • Used for External Email
    • Internal can be use Offensive Material Block
  • Content Keeper
    • Uses Active Directory
    • Knows who you are
  • Generic Accounts
    • CR01 account moved to Generic Domain
    • Will allow tighter password control
    • Can be set to lock during certain hours
  • Administrative Replacements
    • One for one swap
  • LANDesk
    • Looking at update to 8.7
    • more capabilities
  • Proactive Bandwith Monitoring
    • Allows DOT to see trouble before it starts
    • Can see down to the room level
  • Talk of Re IP ing Building
    • Put printers in own Subnet
    • Problems caused by D-Link Mini Switches
    • Laptops still print to printer on cart even if in another room
**
Introduction to Group Policies (Session 1)
  • how to lock down computers
  • gpupdate /force (forces group policy update)
  • gpresult (shows group policies used on computer and user)
  • Policies refresh every 10 to 15 minutes
  • Working on list of most requested polices
  • can view through Group Policy Management Console

LANDesk Software Distribution Portal (Session 2)
  • New Tool for CRS to install software on computers
  • Will allow automation of install of multiple software packages
  • Initiate HEAT call to populate list
  • Must be run under CRS profile so lock computer and let install run

Mandatory Profiles and Desktop Lockdowns (Session 3)
  • We are too big for mandatory Profiles
  • Can view what other schools are doing to lock systems down

Group Policy Management Console (Session 4)
  • Lock down user rights
  • There are around 500 polices that can be implemented
  • Place HEAT call asking if something can be done

Hands-on Lab (Session 5)
  • Time with Marty Smith to answer questions
  • Demonstration of network monitoring software
  • Will look into CRS doing multicast install
    • Problems with stepping on DOT multicast
    • Bandwidth with too many installs


Day 3 - Instructional Issues

Keynote by Will Richardson (Opening Session)
  • Tools are there to transform education
    • Blogs
    • Wikis
    • Podcasts
    • Social Networking
  • We do not teach to the 21st Century Learner
  • We teach for today, not for when students get out to real world
  • Teachers are behind curve, teachers are stuck in a rut
  • We teach students about what not to do with social networking should set good examples
  • Social Networking important
    • Shaping politics (mySpace)
    • 71 % of students with online access use social networking tools on a weekly basis
    • research beginning to show social networking is having positive influence on learning
  • Need to teach students to make sense of much more complex literacy regarding who to trust as authoritative sources.
  • Using Wikis we can connect our student to students around the world
  • How do we model technology?
  • How do we model good practices?
  • In order to teach our students how to use Blogs, wikis and podcasts we need to exerience them ourselves!
What is a Pod and What Type of Reel Do I Need to Cast for One? (Session 1)
  • Hands-on workshop on creating Podcasts
  • Some uses for podcasts
    • Class lecture
    • Radio Program
    • Plays and Poetry
    • Review information
    • Vocabulary
  • It's cool to listen to an iPod but you never know what the person is listening to
  • Software that can be use (and is approved by VBCPS)
Hands-on workshop with Will Richardson (Session 2)
  • Demonstration of blogs and blog readers
  • Social Bookmarking (del.icio.us)
  • Use of news aggrigator to keep up on information (google reader)
  • Online favorites (PortaPortal)
  • Many teachers want to see what this tool will do for me
Building on Our Success: Planning for Professional Growth (Session 3)
  • What is collaboration
  • Best practices for collaboration
  • Most times we think we collaborate but we just share information
  • How can collaboration help us and our teachers

Day 4 - Instructional Issues

Virtual Connections (Session 1)
  • Video Conferencing on Wheels!
  • New system for Distance Communications
  • Can be used point-to-point or point-to-multipoint
  • Can be used from school to school
  • Can be used for virtual field trips, discussion with famous people, connect to Museums
  • System run approximately 3K
  • DL has 3 systems must reserve in advance
  • DL will help with initial setup, testing of connections and use
Teaching with Primary Sources (Session 2)
  • Use of Library of Congress Digital Archives
  • Creating projects using pictures and documents
  • Many Ideas for incorporation into curriculum shown
  • Excellent Session!
Adobe Acrobat Professional: Basics and Beyond (Session 3)
  • How to create Acrobat files from multiple word documents
  • How to archive Email into Acrobat file
  • Break an Acrobat file apart
Games and Simulations - The New Assessment Tool (Session 4)
  • Games can tie to curriculum both commercial and home made
  • 82% of students play games outside of instructional time
  • 18% of teachers play games outside of instructional time
  • Can be tied directly to SOLs
  • Not using technology for "Drill and Kill" but for problem solving
  • Use of Gaming in curriculum shows:
    • High time-on-learning
    • Motivation and goal orientation, even after failure
    • Infinate patience (die and go right back to game)
  • creating games can help students
  • Even MIT uses gaming in classroom
  • Used Discover Babylon Game (goals, problem solving, curriculum)
  • Used Gamemaker software to begin process of writing a game

Overall Opinion of Conference


This year's conference was extremely well organized and I went home each day discussing the information that had been presented. I am still digesting the information presented because there was alot of good information presented. Some of the material presented I am using already (like a Wiki). The big thing now is selling the teachers on using the wonderful tools!